A section of the herd of donkeys being held at Mbondoni police post in Kitui County on Sunday/Musembi Nzengu.Authorities have intercepted 136 donkeys, just two days after the Kitui government sent out an alert over plans to slaughter donkeys ahead of Christmas.
The herd was reportedly being taken to a slaughterhouse.
The director of livestock Joseph Kamonzo said he spotted the donkeys at Mbondoni area near Mwingi town along the Thika-Garissa highway.
“I became suspicious about the herd. I therefore sought the assistance of policemen at Mbondoni police station to establish whether the people who were handling the donkey had the requisite documents,” he said.
He said the four suspects who were found with the donkeys did not have any permits on them.
“They were, therefore, booked into cells awaiting arraignment in court on Monday,” Kamonzo said.
He then handed the animals to Caritas Kitui of Mtunze Punda Akutunze project who hired some young men to take care of the confiscated donkeys until the people found with the animals are presented to court.
Kamonzo said it is not clear where the donkeys came from as the people found with the animals were mean with information.
The suspects first claimed the donkeys were from Nuu in Mwingi Central but later changed the story, saying the animals came from Tseikuru in Mwingi North.
On Thursday livestock executive Kimwele raised concern over sale of contaminated and uninspected donkey meat being sold to Kitui residents ahead of the festive season.
He urged residents to buy meat only from registered butcheries to avoid consumption of donkey meat.
“As people celebrate Christmas, we want to caution them to ensure they consume only goat meat or beef. In our area, the consumption of donkey meat is prohibited,” Kimwele said.
The executive expressed concern that the recent spike in illegal donkey trade and slaughter could significantly reduce Kitui’s donkey population, which currently stands at about 160,000 animals.
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